Common mistakes in setting up Cookiebot

Issue 1: No payment method / paid license

When setting up Cookiebot, a payment method is not initially required. However, once the trial period ends, it’s important to link a payment method. If this is not done, the Cookiebot banner will no longer appear, which can cause issues with loading other scripts.

Has your cookie banner suddenly disappeared? Check if the trial has expired and ensure the appropriate license is active with a linked payment method.

If this hasn’t been set up correctly, you might see a message in your browser’s console stating that the domain has not been added. First, verify if a payment method is linked, and if not, check whether the domain is missing in Cookiebot’s settings. At the end of this article, I’ll explain how to access your browser’s console to identify and resolve issues.

Issue 2: No domain name added

In the Cookiebot dashboard, it’s essential to add your domain name. If you add www.yourdomain.com, the cookie banner will not work on subdomains. Be sure to add subdomains separately and ensure that Cookiebot is implemented on those subdomains as well.

If you implement Cookiebot on your website but have not added the domain name in Cookiebot, the banner will not be displayed, which can lead to issues with your tracking. You will also see an error message in your browser’s console. At the end of this article, I’ll explain how to open the console and locate this message.

Issue 3: Multiple implementations

Make sure that Cookiebot is loaded only once. It’s common to see scenarios where a marketer has configured Cookiebot via GTM, while a plugin is also active, or the developer has attempted to implement Cookiebot directly in the code. Choose one method and avoid loading it multiple times to prevent duplicate signals from being sent and to avoid tracking issues.

You can identify this issue in Google Tag Manager’s preview mode if, for example, the default cookie signals are sent multiple times. Additionally, you can check for potential issues in your browser’s console. See the explanation below for how to do this.

Tip: Check Issues via Your Browser's Console

Step 1: Right-click anywhere on your website to open a dropdown menu, and select the option at the bottom to Inspect. Click on Inspect.

Step 2: A panel will open (usually on the right side of your screen). Refer to the screenshot for reference. At the top of this panel, navigate to the Console tab. By default, it is usually set to Elements.

Step 3: Review the messages. Do you see anything related to Cookiebot? If so, it’s important to address it. There should be no messages in the Console concerning Cookiebot.

Disclaimer:

I’m sharing all of this information for free and this content is not sponsored. As an analytics nerd I’ve helped many companies to implement consent mode with different CMP’s such as Complianz, Cookiefirst, Cookiecode, Iubenda & more. However, my favorite CMP is Cookiebot by Usercentrics.

Therefore, I’ve signed up as a Cookiebot partner and I can give you a 20% lifetime discount on your subscription. I’ll have to invite you manually, so contact me if you want help and would like the discount.

If you want to support my content and don’t need the discount, when you click this affiliate link and sign up I’ll get a small affiliate fee. Thanks for reading this far, hope the content is helpful and if there’s anything I can help with: let me know!